Learning basics of butchery

Class offers meat lovers a primer on handling large cuts

Updated 4:51 pm, Wednesday, March 12, 2014

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National Cattlemen's Beef Association

National Cattlemen's Beef Association

Learning basics of butchery

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"If you, for lack of better terms, butcher it really bad, just cube it up and use it for stew meat or cut some flatter piece for a stroganoff," says Mike Garaghty, the corporate chef for Wusthof Knives.

This laissez-faire approach to butchering large cuts of meat into more manageable portions at home makes the process seem less daunting.

On March 6 at Different Drummer's Kitchen in Albany, Garaghty taught two groups of home-cooking enthusiasts how to break down a 7-pound piece of top sirloin butt (sometimes called a beef loin) into three cuts of beef: Top sirloin cap, top sirloin center and mouse muscle.

After trimming off fat and silverskin (a connective tissue), Garaghty offered examples of how to use each cut of beef. Mouse muscle, a fist-sized piece of meat, is best used ground or in stews, kebobs or fajitas. The sirloin cap and center remain relatively tender, making them great choices for individual steaks and roasts.

Even an infrequent grocery shopper wouldn't find it difficult to locate these cuts readily wrapped and available for purchase at an average market. So why do people choose to butcher these large cuts, sometimes referred to as primal cuts, at home?

Cost is a leading reason. "You just save so much money," says Garaghty, citing that most people see large cuts in a meat department and simply don't know what to do with them. While a pound of conventional USDA choice-grade sirloin steak will run about $7 in a typical grocery store, the same grade of top sirloin butt used in class cost $4.69 per pound. The $32.83 primal cut netted enough meat for four servings of fajitas, a large roast and six sirloin steaks.

The savings can be even greater for other types of meats. While a whole conventional chicken rings up at about $1.50 per pound, boneless, skinless chicken breast costs twice as much or more. The added benefit of having a carcass to be cooked into a stock stretches the cost differential even further.

Another reason is an increased desire to be more closely connected to the food chain. For some, butchering meat themselves alleviates concerns of proper meat handling and provides a sense having had to "work" for their meal. The snout-to-tail movement that encourages respectful consumption of as much of an animal as possible is another motivator for home butchering. When meat eaters break down primal cuts, they are able to access parts of an animal that they might not be able to procure as readily.

What should one consider when buying a primal cut of meat? When it comes to beef, Garaghty says look for firm meat and bright color. Meat from a cow will be purplish, with a filmy oil appearing over the flesh. Steer meat is redder in color.

Beyond this, consider the grade of meat. Select is the least-expensive grade of meat, with less fat running through the muscle (known as marbling), making it less tender. Prime is the highest tier of gradation, with the most marbling and tender juiciness, and choice falls in the middle.

Andrew Wrobel, the general manager of The Meat House in Stuyvesant Plaza, says that about 10 customers a week come in requesting primal cuts of beef. "We have people looking for whole ribeye or top sirloin. A lot of customers buy meat at primal weight, and we break it down for them," Wrobel says.

For those who frequently consume meat, a primal cut broken down at home is an effective way to enjoy meat without paying the built-in surcharge of butchering and packaging materials. But it's not for the squeamish: The feel of flesh is ever-present, reminding us that what is going to be consumed was once alive and should be respected as best possible.